Centrifugal fan or pump.



R. A. ILG. GBNTRIPUGAL PAN 0R PUMP. APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 2, 1909.

"Petented Feb. 13, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

arr sfra'rns rar .CENTRIFUGAL Specification of Letters Patent'.

cHI'cAGo, ILLINOIS.

FAN 0R PUMP.

Patent-@dren 1s, 1912.

Application led October 2, 1909. 'Serial No. 520,604. 4'

Pumps, of which the following is a specifi-v cation.

This invention relates to centrifugal fans or pumps, and has reference more particu? larly to improvements inthat type of such' fans or pumpsthat is characterized by thev employment of a substantiallyhollow or drum-like rotary member or fan-wheel having numerous narrow elongated closely set blades mounted between'parallel ring-like supports and operating in a snail-shell casj ing havinga wide and unobstructed suction' opening, the air being carried rotatively by the blades and discharged between them substantially 'tangentially of the periphery" of the fan-wheel. Fans or pumps ot' this type have been found to possess a high de gree of eiticiency; butare noisy in operation, due, as I believe, `to vthe fact that the fan blades, extending parallel with the axis or at right angles to the plane ofrot'ation,

exert a pounding etfec'tuponthe air passing between them.4 This condition and its cause are recognized inthe patent to Clark,

` 578,860, March 16, 1897, wherein,in a fan '55 duced through theopening in one 4side ofthe approximating this type, the blades are set with their outer edges all parallel to each vother but oblique to the plane' of rotation,A

with a view to obviating the pulsations or vibrations and forcing 'the air in a prac-.

tically continuous and uniform current.

have determined by experiment lthat thel positioning of the blades so that they extend longitudinally, or from side to side of theYfan-wheel, in a direction oblique to the plane of rotation, both enhances the ciciency and eliminates the noisy or singing qualities of fans of this type. -I have alsol discovered that lby `positioning adjacent blades longitudinallyjat an angle to each other and at equal but opposite angles ,to the plane of rotation, so that only the alternate blades ofthe series are parallel, -a Ilfstrong, noiseless and highly eiicient fan is produced; and to obtain the greatest eiiciency where the fan is used for blastpurl poses, the fan casing is provided with a suctionopening Aon both sides, whereby one` series. of' blades 4acts mainly upon air in# casing, and the alternate Aseries of blades similarly acts mainly uponthe air induced through the opening ofthe opposite side of the casing.

My invention will practical wheel;V and Fig.v4 2 is aperspective elevational' "view Aof v the." fan-.wheel detached. Figs. 3 and are' side elevational views of the opposite sides of the` fan' or pump.

as an entirety the housing or casing of the shell form, but with relatively large suction openings 5? and 5*"iir its two sides and a widetangential,discharge opening 5c at its upper end. Secured to one side of the casing over vthe suction opening v5a is a motorsupporting Vring 6 formed with a flaring flange 7 that isdirectly secured,to"the side wall of the housing 5 and is provided with a series of openingsorapertures 8 through which the air may enter freely to the main suction opening of. ,the casing; Secured within and supported by the ring 6 is the outer shell 9 ofanelectric motor of the posite sides` outer land inner bearings 10 and 11, respectively, for the armature-shaft the shaft 12, inwardly of the inner bearing 1,1, is the hub13 of the rotary member or fan-wheel.V This latter is of comparatively simplev construction, including as herein shown, a pair vof parallel side rings 14 .and 1 5 each .of a width substantially equal to thedepth oftheintermediate blades. These latter" are thin 'lat straight strips disposed between, supported by, and connecting the rings 14 and 15. rThese strips all extend longitudinally in directions that are-oblique to the planev of rotation, and are arranged in two groups or series 16 and 17, respectively. The blades of each series are parallel to each other, but, the blades of the two series intersect the plane of rotation at equal angles but in opposite directions, or in such manthe two sides of a V the-axis ofvwhich is n be readily understood when considered in connection with the ac- V fan, the same being ofl the well known snail- 'ordinary'type, said shell 9 carrying on op? indicated at 12. Keyed on the inner en d of ner that adjacent blades form substantially l shown as equipped with an electric motor in direct drivingvrela'tion to the hub of the fan- 1 "Referring" to the ldrawing, 5 designates adjacent .side of the piston, so that the latter parallel with the axis of rotation.v Thehub 13 is rigidly connected to the peripheralY portion of the'fan-wheel by acspide'r-like structure comprising radial arms or spokes 18 secured at their outer' ends*v to certain of the blades centrally thereof. f

It will be noted that the motor is so supported relatively to one side of the fan cas-` ing that the inner bearing 11 ,of the motor shaft 12 lies inwardly of the plane of the to a considerable extent overhangs the said the piston affords several/ distinct advantages.- It produces a more compactdevice; it maintains the center of gravity ofthe piston nearly coincident with the inner bearing; itv permits the rotative impulse 'to plane of rotation. Furthermore, the blades,

by exerting a slightly wed'ging action upon the air drawn and forced between them,

move thepair in apractically continuous andL uninterrupted 'or nonepulsating current andA without the peculiar singing noise heretofore noticeable infans having parallel blades set directly across or at right angles to the plane of rotation. rllhe described ar rangement of blades ,also produces a fan` wheel of great strength and rigidity, since the blades unitedly constitute practically a I truss between the two side members.

I am aware that it has heretofore 1been wheel. bearing. This overhanging of the motor by 1 proposed to construct the peripheral portion of a fan-wheel, infans of this type, by a' plurality of vcorrugated rings set side by side either in direct lateral engagement with eich 'other or connected by intermediate plain rings, thereby' producing a net-like formation. My invention is distinguished from this form of construction inthat the' individual blades do not cross or intersectl each other but are independent and consecu-A tively lspaced around the periphery ofthel claim:

l. centrifugal fan or. pump, comprising a casing having a relatively large'suction opening in its side and a tangential discharge opening, in combination with a fan-wheel therein lhaving parallel'side members ,and a pldrality of independent blades connecting and support-ed by 'said side members and disposed lengthwise successively in oppositeoblique directions relatively to: the plane of irotation, substantially as described. j

2. A centrifugal fan or pump, comprising a casing having .a relatively largev suction opening in its side and a tangential dis! charge opening,in combination with'a fanwheel therein having parallel side members and a plurality of straight uflat independent blades connecting and supported by said side members,`s"aid` blades being arranged in two series with the blades of rone series Valternating with those of the other, andthe blades of thetwo series presenting equal` and opposite obliquities, respectively, to the plane of rotation of thefan-wheel, substantially as described.

ROBERT A. iLe.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. lPoNn, Maturn B. Buss. 

